25 April 2023
Forty students, from Years 10, 11 and Upper Sixth, and members of Woldingham’s Maths Department, immersed themselves in New York’s mathematical and financial highlights over a long weekend in the Easter holidays – leaving a suitable percentage of time free to enjoy some of the city’s many other sights and experiences.
Léonie C, Upper Sixth
Our trip to New York began early on Friday 24 March, with toothbrushes and last-minute items being thrown into suitcases before we began our journey to Heathrow. After flying into New York’s JFK Airport, we hopped onto a coach and started taking in the sights. Shouts of ‘yellow school bus’ and ‘American flag’ were accompanied by singing ‘Empire State of Mind’ as we drove into Manhattan. Our highlights of the first day were undoubtedly the Empire State Building, where we saw the twinkling lights of NYC, and Ellen’s Stardust Diner.
Our main destination the following day was the National Museum of Mathematics, where we played interactive games about the Pythagoras theorem, cycled square bikes, brought formulas to life and much more. Afterwards, we shopped at Macy’s, explored more of New York and finished our day with a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe.
On the third day, we visited Liberty Island and Ellis Island, stopped for lunch in the financial district and then went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which was extremely moving. We had the choice to finish our day at either Grand Central Station or Central Park. A few girls and I went on a horse and carriage ride around Central Park, which made us feel as if we were in a movie. Our dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant brought Forrest Gump to life and was a great way to end the day.
Our final day in the city started with an exclusive tour of the Morgan Stanley Building and the opportunity to ask staff questions about the finance sector. We then had a tour of the financial district, walking down Wall Street, seeing Alexander Hamilton’s grave and the Brooklyn Bridge.
We learnt a lot from this trip and it was great to experience so much of New York over our long weekend there. Thank you to our teachers for taking us, especially to Mrs McKenna, who did much of the organisation of the trip but unfortunately wasn’t able to travel to New York.
